Russian Museum made an exhibition “Serov – not portraitist” – Bulletin

The name “Serov – not portraitist” sounds polemical, if not a portraitist, then who? Serov left more than two hundred portraits, preferring them is great in the classic sense of the picture. To pass the declarative part of the legacy of the artist, curators should be good reasons.

The exhibition can be considered good for the Russian Museum has by virtue of its antizrelischnosti. Permanent exhibition of the Russian Museum, as well as the Tretyakov Gallery and other participants in the project, as a result was not naked, but painting and graphic enough for five rooms of the suite Benois Wing. Serov himself has repeatedly stressed that is not a portrait, but “just an artist.” This, in modern language, positioning was a reaction to fame was already manifested in the assessments of his work.

Travel exposition forms a separate fascinating story. Intelligible structure – that often requires many russkomuzeynym exhibitions – not easy to get here: through individual works curators were able to translate the concepts that are relevant to art Serov and all Russian culture two decades around 1900 First of all, they are associated with the image of water as the fluid and volatile elements that applies equally to both scenic tasks, such as “bathing the horse” and the psychology of the society of those years.

Hosts

There are two exhibition curator. Vladimir Lenyashin – head of the department of painting of the second half of XIX – beginning of the XXI century. Russian museum, an expert on the works of Serov and author of books about it. Vladimir Kruglov – Senior Fellow at the Department of Russian painting of the second half of XIX – beginning of the XXI century. Curated many exhibitions of the museum.

As a sign in the center of the first hall is located “Christ Walking on Water,” performed together with Serov, Konstantin Korovin in 1890 for the church in the Kostroma manufacture Pavel Tretyakov and VD Konshina. The museum announced that the show works as a highlight of the exhibition and artistic discovery, but very poorly preserved picture does not leave the museum restoration workshops and presented in the exhibition in a photo in the lightbox. Serov was not religious, and this canvas as the accompanying sketches on biblical subjects – duty tribute to the genre, which is capable enough to impress and has more historical than artistic value.

In the first room, centered on themes of native wildlife, yet crept portraits of his wife – “summer” and sons – “Children”, declarer scenic dialectic of figure and ground. Further submitted Serov-animal painter: a room at the exhibition devoted to the work on illustrations for the fables of Krylov. The animals were followed by an outline of the human figure, but appreciate the skill of the virtuoso painter from the drawings in the full-scale class Academy of Arts or fundamentally sketchy works of small size can only be prepared by the viewer.

After – history, turning to the present, ie. E. The policy. It would be strange to expect from the museum “an exhibition for the anniversary of” relevance, but today’s audience will be useful to know that Serov was a consistent liberal critic of the existing government, the enemy of the Black Hundred “Union of the Russian people.” The memorial made in 1905, the famous “Soldiers, bravo lads, where is your glory?” And his political cartoons and magazine illustrations still retain the sharpness and meaning. Serov, not just to paint portraits of the imperial family, and Nikolai II, in 1901, refused another offer to portray the king.

The last room – a series of works on ancient stories and “The Rape of Europa,” whose heroes are again surrounded by water element. This famous work in the logic of exposure not only completes the exhibition, but can serve as a replica and in the discussion about the European way of development of our country.

It Serov, extraordinarily productive, working in all the arts, mul’tizhanrovoy artist, caressed the attention of the press and the establishment, can be regarded as the first artist of Russian capitalism. Today, he and Repin and Roerich – one of the most expensive Russian artists to avant-garde.

Shortly before his death Serov met to come to Moscow Henri Matisse. It is believed that if the artist had lived longer, scenic search led him to Cubism or even bespredmetnichestvu – after he left the Wanderers for the “World of Art” – and this is almost finished abstraction looks “Mermaid”.

Russkomuzeynaya exhibition wants to outline the shape of Serov, leaving empty its undoubted center – portraits. Bold experiment was a success due to the fact that in the minds of the public is firmly spelled masterpieces “Orlov”, “Yusupov”, “Felix Yusupov,” “Ida Rubinstein,” and they continue to hang on the floor above.